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Insecurity: Major shakeup in Nigerian Airforce

Published

2 years ago

August 5, 2022

NewsDirect

…As CAS charges Commanders to intensify fight against terrorists

By Uthman Salami

The Nigerian Air Force ( NAF) on Thursday announced the redeployment of senior officers and appointed new branch Chiefs and Air Officer Commanders (AOCs).

This is just as Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao charged the operational Commanders to intensify the heat on terrorists across all the troubled areas in the country.

Announcing the reshuffling, Air Force Spokesperson, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet in a statement said the redeployment was approved by the Chief of Air Staff 48 hours after he had directed operational and air component commanders to maximise the deployment of firepower against terrorists and other criminal elements, Gabkwet said.

“In his message to the new appointees, Air Marshal Amao reminded them of the need to continually seek for effective and efficient means of deploying the resources at their disposals in line with the reviewed NAF counter-terrorism and counterinsurgency strategy,” the statement said.

He also charged them to be proactive and synergise with sister services towards eliminating the threat particularly posed by terrorists in the country.

Meanwhile, the newly appointed and redeployed senior officers are expected to assume their new offices on or before Friday, 5 August 2022.”

Among the newly appointed b ranch Chiefs are Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Jackson Yusuf, formerly Chief of Training and Operations (CTOP) who is now the Chief of Policy and Plans (COPP) Headquarters NAF (HQ NAF), Abuja, AVM Oluwafemi Ogunmola, former Director of Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance now Chief of Communications Information Systems (CCIS), HQ NAF, AVM Aliyu Bello, former Chief of Standards and Evaluation (COSE) is now redeployed as the CTOP, HQ NAF, Abuja while AVM Nkem Aguiyi takes over as the Chief of Air Intelligence (CAI) and AVM Hassan Abubakar, former AOC Logistics Command is now the Chief of Standards and Evaluation.

In the same vein, the erstwhile COPP, AVM Charles Ohwo is now the Chief of Defence Transformation and Innovation, Defence Headquarters (DHQ), Abuja, AVM Abubakar Liman, former CAI is now the Director of Space Utilization, DHQ, AVM Hycinth Eze, former Group Managing Director (GMD) NAF Holding Company takes over as Director of Production, DHQ, AVM Musa Muktar takes over as the GMD NAF Holding Company while AVM Raimi Salami, the erstwhile CCIS is now the Director of Strategy, DHQ.

The newly appointed AOCs are AVM Precious Amadi, AOC Tactical Air Command (TAC), Makurdi, AVM Abubakar Abdulkadir, AOC Special Operations Command (SOC), Bauchi, AVM Nnamdi Ananaba, AOC Air Training Command (ATC), Kaduna while AVM Emmanuel Shobande takes over as AOC Logistics Command (LC), Lagos.

…CAS charges operational Commanders to intensify fight against terrorists

In furthering fight against terrorism, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao has charged Nigerian Air Force (NAF) operational Commanders in the various theatres of operation across the country to ‘show no mercy’ and ensure they employ maximum firepower against terrorists posing security threats in the country.

This was contained in a separate message signed by the Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, which was made available to the Nigerian NewsDirect.

According to Amao, he commended them for their efforts as well as the improved synergy with sister Services and other security agencies. Air Marshal Amao also underscored the need for effective allocation and utilization of all NAF platforms deployed for operations in the Northwest and Northcentral for enhanced operational effectiveness.

He explained the CAS believed this “will deny the terrorists freedom of movement while boosting the confidence of the populace and ensuring a peaceful country.”

He made the charge when he met with frontline Air Officers Commanding (AOC) and Air Component Commanders (ACCs) at the NAF Base yesterday in Kaduna.

He said that though the security environment remains fluid and uncertain with terrorists moving between the Northeast, Northwest and North central, the need to continually modify NAF’s air power strategies to stay ahead of the asymmetric and unconventional nature of terrorists’ activities is of paramount importance.

According to him, “We have a responsibility to secure our nation and give our citizens a sense of hope, trust and belonging. Therefore, we must ensure that we stay ahead of the enemy and envisage his next line of action.”

He then charged them “to show no mercy against any terrorist and their accomplices while also denying them the freedom of movement and ease to cause mayhem against innocent Nigerians.”

The statement partly read, “Air Marshal Amao then assured them that training of more combat pilots, imagery analysts and other specialties in the NAF would continue to be of utmost priority so as to address the manpower challenges within the operation areas.

“He went on to state that efforts were at advanced stage to procure more combat platforms for the NAF to meet the ever-increasing demands of air assets in various theatres of operations across the nation. Other issues addressed during the interface included the need to ensure speedy procurement circle of aircraft spares to minimise aircraft down-time amongst other issues.”

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FG set to sell DisCos to reputable operators in three months — Adelabu

Published

10 hours ago

April 26, 2024

NewsDirect

The Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, has said that the federal government would sell off the five electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) now under the management of banks and Asset Management Company (AMCON) in the next three months to reputable technical power operators.

Adelabu disclosed this to the members of the Senate Committee on Power who were on an oversight visit to the ministry in Abuja.

The Minister added that the energy distribution assets are technical and as such, they should be under the management of technical experts.

As it stands, Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) is currently under the management of the United Bank of Africa (UBA), Fidelity Bank manages Benin Electricity Distribution Company, Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, and Kano Electricity Distribution Company while Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company is under the AMCON management.

They all found themselves under the new management arrangement owing to their inability to repay their loans.

He informed the committee that tough decisions on the DisCos have become necessary because the entire Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) fails when they refuse to perform.

According to him, the ministry will prevail on the Nigerian Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to revoke underperforming licenses and also change the management board of the DisCos if it becomes the solution.

Adelabu said, “Lastly, on distribution. Very soon you will see that tough decisions will be taken on the DisCos. They are the last lap of the sector. If they don’t perform, the entire sector is not performing.

“The entire ministry is not performing. We have put pressure on NERC, which is their regulator to make sure they raise the bar on regulation activities.

“If they have to withdraw licenses for non-performance, why not? If they have to change the board of management, why not?

“And all the DisCos that are still under AMCON and Banks, within the next three months, they must be sold to technical power operators with good reputations in utility management.

“We can no longer afford AMCON to run our DisCos. We can no longer afford the banks to run our DisCos. This is a technical industry and it must be run by technical experts.”

The Minister also noted that it has become necessary to reorganise the DisCos for efficiency.

He stressed that Ibadan DisCo is too large for one company to manage.

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Five arrested for attacking, injuring four LASTMA officers

Published

10 hours ago

April 26, 2024

NewsDirect

…Operational vehicles damaged

…54 trucks impounded for illegal parking

Five miscreants have been arrested for assaulting and injuring LASTMA personnel during an enforcement operation in the Oba Akran Avenue area of Ikeja, Lagos and the state government has finalised preparations to prosecute them

Firector of Public Affairs and Enlightenment of LASTMA, Mr. Adebayo Taofiq, disclosed this in a press statement made available to journalists on Thursday.

According to him, April 23, LASTMA operatives conducted an operation to remove illegally parked Viju Milk trucks on Oba Akran Avenue in response to numerous complaints from the public about the trucks causing traffic congestion.

During the operation, four LASTMA officers sustained serious injuries from weapons wielded by Viju Milk truck drivers and local miscreants.

“While LASTMA operational vehicles were vandalised, 54 Viju Milk truck were evacuated by LASTMA during the enforcement operations.”

He said, “The police, working alongside LASTMA, arrested five of these individuals namely: Falomo Oluwafemi, Afeniyi Stephen, Olamide Adekunle, Chukwu Guaja Eze and Adeshina Sulaimon, seized various weapons including broken bottles, iron rods, charms, knives, and cutlasses.”

The injured LASTMA officers were promptly taken to the hospital for medical attention.

Hon. Sola Giwa, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, stated that the arrested individuals would be prosecuted by the government as a deterrent to others.

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Hardship: FG kicks off N100bn consumer credit scheme

Published

1 day ago

April 25, 2024

NewsDirect

…Civil servants to benefit in first phase

By Grace Olatundun

The Federal Government of Nigeria has kicked off the N100 billion Consumer Credit Scheme for Nigerians as a tool to alleviate the escalating economic hardship in the country.

In a press statement on Wednesday by the President’s spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, he disclosed that interested Nigerians are expected to visit the portal of Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation before May 15, 2024.

The President noted that the “consumer credit serves as the lifeblood of modern economies, enabling citizens to enhance their quality of life by accessing goods and services upfront, paying responsibly over time. It facilitates crucial purchases, such as homes, vehicles, education, and healthcare, which are essential for ongoing stability and the pursuit of their aspirations.

“Individuals build credit histories through responsible repayment, unlocking more opportunities for a better life. The increased demand for goods and services also stimulates local industry and job creation.”

The President stated further that every hardworking Nigerian should have access to social mobility, with consumer credit playing a pivotal role in achieving this vision.

“The Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation (CREDICORP) achieves its mandate through the following: Strengthening Nigeria’s credit reporting systems and ensuring every economically active citizen has a dependable credit score. This score becomes personal equity they build, facilitating access to consumer credit, Offering credit guarantees and wholesale lending to financial institutions dedicated to broadening consumer credit access today and Promoting responsible consumer credit as a pathway to an improved quality of life, fostering a cultural shift towards growth and financial responsibility.

“In line with the President’s directive to expand consumer credit access to Nigerians, the Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation (CREDICORP) has launched a portal for Nigerians to express interest in receiving consumer credit.

“This initiative, in collaboration with financial institutions and cooperatives nationwide, aims to broaden consumer credit availability.

“Working Nigerians interested in receiving consumer credit can visit www.credicorp.ng to express interest. The deadline is May 15, 2024.

“The scheme will be rolled out in phases, starting with members of the civil service and cascading to members of the public,” the statement read.

Recall that two months ago, a presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, announced that the Federal Executive Council had given the nod for the establishment of the Consumer Credit Scheme.

He said the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, will lead a committee that includes the Budget Minister, Attorney-General, and Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Finance to make the scheme a reality.

In March, the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service Chairman, Zacch Adedeji, said the Nigerian government would unveil its proposed N100 billion consumer credit loan in a few days.